


Strip Poker Prelude

by Chalatan



Category: Hustle
Genre: Multi, Strip Poker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26216584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chalatan/pseuds/Chalatan
Summary: Danny is bored. Albert is scheming. Ash is indulgent. The lead up to a game of strip poker.
Relationships: Ash Morgan/Albert Stroller, Danny Blue/Albert Stroller, Danny Blue/Ash Morgan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Strip Poker Prelude

Danny dropped onto the sofa listlessly and sighed. Albert was watching him out of the corner of his eye as he picked up a newspaper from the coffee table, leafed through it and then threw it back. He shifted position and checked his phone for a bit before shoving it back in his pocket and sighing again. Albert allowed his lip to quirk a little in amusement. Danny stood up abruptly and paced across to the small fridge, threw it open, bent double and stared inside. He was completely motionless for a surprisingly long time before slamming it closed and crossing back to the sofa where he flopped with his feet up, sighing even more dramatically.

“Christ Danny what do you want?” Ash snapped from the table. Albert knew better than to take this at face value and sure enough when he caught his eye Ash grinned.

“Nothing!” Danny pouted and then immediately contradicted himself. “It’s just, they’re going to be busy with this _all_ day!” Danny fidgeted in the chair again and then sat up.

“Quite possibly all night,” Albert added. Danny pointed in his direction.

“Yes! Thank you Albert, they could be aaages.”

“And?” Ash asked, not looking up from his laptop.

“’And’? And I’m bored.”

“So what do you want us two to do about it, take you walkies?” Ash teased and Albert snorted, the image of Danny on a leash momentarily entering his mind. 

“Can’t we just play a game or something?” Danny wined. Albert sat up straighter.

“Well… we could play a game of poker…” He suggested.

“No!” Ash and Danny shouted in unison.

“Not for cash at any rate, I’ve lost my last tenner to you Albie!” Danny added.

“He always cheats,” Ash agreed.

“As if you don’t cheat,” Albert scoffed.

“Yeah but I don’t cheat as well as you do I?” Ash flashed him a smile.

“Oooh I know, _strip_ poker!” Danny clapped his hands together. Albert’s eyebrows raised and Ash pulled a face.

“Didn’t I see you losing to Stace just the other week?” Ash asked.

“I didn’t lose-“

“Yes you did! I came in and you were starkers hiding behind a pillow and she’d only taken her jacket off!” Ash laughed at the memory.

“I let her win,” Danny sniffed. “It was the gentlemanly thing to do… right Albie?” Albert nodded with exaggerated sagelyness. “So how about it?” Albert considered. Danny was… surprising, but very transparent. Albert had a wicked thought of stripping him… of his plausible deniability of course.

“Strip poker is an interesting suggestion- that is to say, it’s interesting that _you_ would make that suggestion, Danny. You know strip poker is the sort of game that can be a lot of fun under the right circumstances… but is usually rather sad,” Albert explained.

“Oh right, I see, just because we’re blokes yeah? I bet, you only play with a room full of scantily clad rich women,” Danny shot. Albert held up a hand.

“Nothing quite so simple,” He said moving to the opposite sofa shuffling cards as he went. Ash sighed but joined the two of them, giving Albert an indulgent look. He could smell a play at work.

Danny rested his chin in one hand and motioned for him to continue.

“Well, number one: Everyone has to cheat.” Albert stated in a lecturing tone. Ash laughed, he could already see where this was going. 

“In a room full of grifters that shouldn’t be too hard,” Danny smirked. “What’s number 2?”

“Number two: Everyone has to want each other. Carnally I mean.” Danny’s eyes widened. Albert reeled him in. “You need both. You see if you were to cheat but weren’t attracted to each other, well then the prize is meaningless and you just have a room full of rather naked sore losers. If you do want each other, but don’t cheat, the game is unbalanced and invariably either too long or too short. Too much for foreplay or too little for a good tease... I believe anyone who has played before knows this on some level. The game is merely a warm up to… later events. So I have to ask you Danny…” Albert paused to give Danny a look that had never failed him.

“Are you going all in?”

Danny gulped.


End file.
